LITTLE LEAGUE: Midland Northern bats explode for 10-12 title

Midland Northern team members congratulate Chase Shores as he crosses home on a home run 7/05/17 against Lubbock Western in the Texas West Section 1 10-12 year old playoff game at John P. Butler Sports Complex. Tim Fischer/Reporter-Telegram

Midland Northern team members congratulate Chase Shores as he crosses home on a home run 7/05/17 against Lubbock Western in the Texas West Section 1 10-12 year old playoff game at John P. Butler Sports Complex.

Midland Northern team members congratulate Chase Shores as he crosses home on a home run 7/05/17 against Lubbock Western in the Texas West Section 1 10-12 year old playoff game at John P. Butler Sports Complex. Tim Fischer/Reporter-Telegram

Midland Northern team members congratulate Chase Shores as he crosses home on a home run 7/05/17 against Lubbock Western in the Texas West Section 1 10-12 year old playoff game at John P. Butler Sports Complex.

Andrew Prado and Chase Shores hit consecutive home runs in the second inning to spark Midland Northern to an 11-7 victory over Lubbock Western in Wednesday’s Texas West Section 1 Championship at the John P. Butler Sports Complex.

Midland Northern won the Texas West Section 1 Tournament with a perfect 4-0 record and punched its ticket to the Texas West State Tournament, which begins July 15 in Abilene.

In Wednesday’s title game, Midland Northern constantly put pressure on Lubbock Western with its bats, scoring in each of the first five innings to take a commanding 11-2 lead through 4 1/2 innings.

With Midland Northern leading 1-0, the game’s complexion changed in the second when Prado and Shores both went deep to extend their team’s advantage to 4-0.

On a 3-2 count with two out, Prado ripped a rocket shot that sailed over the trees in right field for a two-run homer.

“It may not have landed,” Midland Northern coach Bryan Shores said of Prado’s home run. “That one is not coming back. That was a great hit on a full count. He was sitting dead red and he did his job. He saw a good pitch and he hit it.”

Shores followed with a home run to center, his 18th of the Little League season.

Prado credited coaching advice for his 2-for-3 performance that included two runs scored, a walk and his 11th homer of the season.

“I just stayed on the ball,” Prado said. “Coach Kevin told me before the game, ‘Keep your eye on the ball the whole time’ because (Tuesday) I was keeping my head on the pitcher. So I just kept my head on the ball the whole time.”

In the bottom half of the second inning, Lubbock Western cut into Midland Northern’s lead with two runs, including a solo home run by Jett Carroll.

But Midland Northern responded by scoring four runs in the third, one run in the fourth and two runs in the fifth.

The run support was a big boost for Midland Northern starting pitcher and winner Jace Martinez, who induced double play ground balls to end the third and fourth innings.

“It feels good,” Martinez said of the run support. “If we just get ahead and we have a lot of runs, I can trust my defense whenever I go back to pitch.”

Lubbock Western didn’t go away quietly though, as it scored two runs in the fifth and three runs in the sixth to make circumstances interesting.

After trailing 11-2, Lubbock Western had the tying run on-deck following Griffen Williams’ two-run single in the seventh.

However, Midland Northern reliever Evan Letcher got the final batter to ground out into a fielder’s choice to seal the section title.

Letcher was a spark plug in the leadoff spot for Midland Northern as he reached base safely in all four plate appearances with a single, two walks and a hit by pitch. Letcher scored four runs.

Shores had two RBI for Midland Northern, while teammate Tyler Wood cracked an RBI double in the third.

Under Bryan Shores’ watch, Midland Northern is headed to the Texas West State Tournament for the third straight year as sectional champions.

“Our goal since we started all-stars is to win state, so district was the first step, sectionals was the second step and now we’re going to state to fulfill our goal of winning it,” Bryan Shores said.